"If you don't trust EC, Kerala govt should resign": UP BJP president challenges opposition amid SIR row

Oct 16, 2026

Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 16 : Amid the ongping row over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Uttar Pradesh BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary on Friday accused the Congress and its allies, including the Samajwadi Party, of trying to cast doubt on the country's constitutional institutions and "sow anarchy across the country."
Referring to the protests against the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar , he said the opposition's logic should also apply to its own governments.
"The Congress and its allies—whether it be the Samajwadi Party or the Trinamool Congress—are attempting to cast doubt on the country's constitutional institutions. They have made similar attempts in the past, all of which have proven to be misguided. And this is not just about votes. Whenever the issue of voting arises—much like the movement we see in Kerala—the demand is effectively: If you do not trust the Election Commission, then the government of Kerala should resign, Rahul Gandhi’s faction should resign, and the governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka should also resign. Whenever they lose, they invariably level allegations against the EVMs and the Election Commission. This time, they are essentially working to sow anarchy across the country," he told reporters.  
Chaudhary also outlined the party's preparations for upcoming polls. Elections for the Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies are under way across eleven seats in the state, and he said he had been consulting public representatives for the Teachers' constituency election in the Gorakhpur-Faizabad region, after holding discussions in Ayodhya.
"We are mobilizing these representatives to reach out to all voters within their respective assembly constituencies to ensure they cast their votes and secure a victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party," he said.
"The BJP contests every election with great seriousness. A BJP worker remains active 365 days a year; naturally, when election season arrives, activities intensify, and the approach shifts slightly," he added. 
Chaudhary's remarks come amid continued protests in Delhi by opposition parties, INDIA bloc constituents and activits against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Dharmendra Pradhan have accused the Congress and its allies of using youth to fuel unrest and seek "regime change" along the Bangladesh lines while Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hit back, asserting that the Opposition's job in a democracy is "to oppose, expose and depose."